On my way back from work today I noticed that there were more newspapers scattered throughout the train car than usual. I know it can be easy to forget things on the train (cell phone, wallet, backpack, newspaper, I’ve done them all at one time or another) but for some reason, without fail, the commuter rail is always littered with the Metro or the Boston Globe newspapers. I remember one time in particular I was boarding the train and a guy behind me actually took his newspaper and purposefully threw it on the ground and got on the train. I was pretty shocked at the overt lack of concern this guy had. Not only is littering illegal, it also makes the city you live in look like crap. Would it have really been that hard to hang onto the newspaper and dispose of it in a trash can (or recycling bin) so that someone didn’t have to clean up after you?

So on my way off the train I grabbed a few stray newspapers and recycled them in the train station. It didn’t take any extra time out of my day to do this and it was pretty simple. It’d be amazing how much nicer the trains would look if everyone took care of their trash and recycled their newspapers.

This is what the newspaper recycling bins look like. It'd be great if the people who take the commuter rail would use them more often.

Most of the stops near the city have recycling bins for the newspapers (courtesy of the Metro). This is great and I’m glad the city of Boston is making efforts to recycle paper, especially on public transit which I’m sure is where a lot of people read the news. I just wish that people took more responsibility for the trash they’re leaving on the floor.

Actually while I was writing this post (on the train on the way to work on another day), the guy across the isle from me got up to get off the train and put his newspaper on the seat and left without it. I mean, maybe he thought he was leaving it there so the next person who got on could read it. However, I’m not sure that leaving your newspaper on the seat is a reasonable form of altruism. I picked up his paper too, ugh.